social media and advanced ticket sales to gauge a film's buzz, "oz" is tracking for another great and powerful weekend. justin bieber shot down rehab rumors and, quote, countless lies in the press. he took a shot at lindsay lohan. saying people comparing him to the troubled actress should look at her 2012 tax statements. justin deleted that section of the post and said it was wrong of him to say. how noble. julianne hough had reportedly $100,000 worth of jewelry stolen from her mercedes. the jewelry, given to her by long-time boyfriend ryan seacrest, included a $50,000 watch. ""jeopardy!" had a little fun, at this clue. alex trebek is getting on it. 2009's best vocal went for her where, shocker, she goes off on an ex-boyfriend. a lot of people are picking on

her. >> i know. >> everybody loves alex trebek. and speak of kicking people when they're down, bieber going after lindsay lohan? what's up with that? this is "first look" on msnbs. "way too early" starts right now. i think we've had good conversations. but ultimately, it's a matter of the house and the senate, both caucuses, getting together and everybody being willing to compromise. we'll see if we can do that. >> president obama shows a little optimism on capitol hill after meeting with both parties. light at the end of the tunnel, perhaps. this is "way too early" about to make a compromise this weekend. compromise our livers, that is. st. patty's day, not far away. glad you're with us on this friday. we have a lot to talk about, including a heated exchange between ted cruz and veteran

dianne feinstein, over gun control that was described as patronizing. and a terrible day for jpmorgan, as a senate report accuses ceo jamie dimon of hiding the bank's loss. according to the national journal, the 2016 republican presidential primaries are officially -- unofficially, under way. rising gop stars marco rubio and rand paul kicked things off at the first day of cpac, each providing a vision of the future for their party. the junior senator from florida was the first to address the crowd, speaking about fiscal responsibility, and the need to defend social values. >> we believe in solving our debt problem. because it's hurting job creation. the only real approach that solves it is the combination of fiscal discipline and rapid economic growth. there's no tax increase in the

world that will solve our long-term debt problem. just because i believe that states should have the right to define marriage in a traditional way does not make me a bigot. the people who are close-minded in american politics are the people that love to preach about the certainty of science with regards to our climate. but ignore the absolute fact that science has proven that life begins at conception. >> rubio also refuted the notion that america needs to change its ways. >> as soon as i'm done speaking, i'll tell you what the criticism of the left is going to be. one, he drank too much water. two, that he didn't offer new ideas. there's the fallacy of it. we don't need a new idea. there's an idea. the idea is called america. and it still works. >> after rubio was senator rand paul's chance to take the stage. paul wasted little time, addressing his nearly 13-hour long filibuster of cia director, john brennan.

>> the filibuster was about drones. but also about much more. do we have a bill of rights? do we have a constitution? and will we defend it? >> last week, paul told politico he was seriously considering a run for president. the freshman senator used his time on the stage to lay out what might become his core message of his campaign for the white house. >> the gop of old has grown steal and moss-covered. i don't think we need to name any names. the new gop will need to embrace liberty in both the economic and the personal sphere. if we're going to have a republican party that can win, liberty needs to be the backbone of the gop. >> rand paul wasn't the only one at the cpac taking a swipe at the old guard. governor rick perry, remember him? gave an animated speech as he

took on the credentials of the last two candidates for president. >> the narrative is this country has shifteded away from conservative ideals as evidenced by the last two presidential elections. that's what they think. that's what they say. that might be true if republicans had actually nominated conservative candidates in 2008 and 2012. might be true. >> now, today, it's congressman paul ryan's chance to address the conference. donald trump and wayne lapierre and mitt romney speaking today. on saturday, headliners include sarah palin and ted cruz of texas. no topic was off the table during president obama's separate meetings with senate republicans and house democrats. the talks covered everything from gun violence and immigration to trade policy and climate change. they discussed the keystone

pipeline, job creation, federal regulation and the middle east peace process. but like usual, the biggest issues of all, entitlements and taxes and whether the two sides could find common ground to reach a grand bargain on the budget. top republicans liked what they heard, including the president's willingness to address entitlement reform. the president's central point, unless they give him cover on revenue, he's not going to have much luck to convince his own party to tackle programs like medicare. democrats, nervous that the white house would take a bad deal. he assured them, he's not charlie brown with a football. only to see the republicans pull the ball like lucy, away, at the last second. john boehner is pushing back at conservative members who are calling to restrict money from the president's health care law as part of legislation to fund the government. >> i believe that trying to put

obama care on this vehicle, risks shutting down the government. that's not what our goal is. our goal here is to reduce spending. >> current funding to keep the government operating runs out on march 27th. new bills tightening controls on the sale of guns are headed to the full senate. but there's real doubts over whether democrats can muster support to turn the suggestion into law. the bills limiting the high-capacity magazines and background checks have narrowly passed a key committee. and debate boild over when ted cruz challenged die in an feinstein on whether her plan is constitutional. >> it seems to me that all of us should begin as our foundational document with the constitution. and the second amendment in the bill of rights provides that the right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed. and the question i would pose to the senior senator from california would she deem it consistent with the bill of rights for congress to engage in

the same endeavor that we are contemplating doing with the second amendment in the context of the first or fourth amendment. >> let me make a couple of points in response. one, i'm not a sixth grader. senator, i've been on this committee for 20 years. i was a mayor for nine years. i walked in, i saw people shot. i've looked at bodies that have been shot with these weapons. i've seen the bullets that implode. in sandy hook youngsters were dismembered. it's fine you want to lecture me on the constitution. i appreciate it. just know i've been here for a long time. i passed on a number of bills. i've studied the constitution myself. i'm reasonably well-educated. and i thank you for the lecture. it exempts 2,271 weapons. isn't that enough for the people in the united states? do they need a bazooka? do they need other high-powered

weapons that military people use to kill in close combat? i don't think so. >> glad i wasn't on the other end of that one. feinstein later apologized to cruz and explained she had felt patronized by his remarks. the tsa's top administrator found himself on capitol hill yesterday defending a new measure that would allow small knives on commercial flights. the policy that ends a ban that was instituted following the 9/11 attacks has been kritized by many inside the industry. the tsa chief says his decision will stand. >> and they're -- >> reporter: on capitol hill, unions representing air marshals, airline employees and flight attendants, demanded the tsa drop its plan to allow small knives on commercial flights. >> a knife like this is a weapon. and it doesn't belong on an airplane. >> reporter: the union claims to represent 90,000 flight attendants.

but the tsa chief said he never consulted with flight attendants before changing the knife rule. the backlash over the tsa's new life policy has grown to include every player in aviation safety. three, major airlines, u.s. airways, american and delta, oppose allowing small knives onboard. so does the union representing the tsa's own screening officers. >> i just don't believe that there is a place for knives or weapons of any kind on airplanes. >> reporter: but the agency insists that since cockpit doors are now reenforced, small knives do not pose a serious threat to an aircraft. while explosives remain a threat. and tsa chief pistole showed a video to make his point. >> this is the type of device that i want our security officers looking for. >> reporter: in a twist, the obama administration's tsa is getting support for its new list of what's allowed, from some republican lawmakers. >> i want to commend you on this list that you've come out with. i'd like for it to be a little

longer. but you made a good start. >> reporter: while some democrats are threatening legislation to block the new rules. >> this tsa knife policy will not fly. with the american people. we will not rest until america's flight attendants, pilots, air marshals and passengers are protected. >> reporter: despite the uproar, the tsa says it's sticking with its new knife policy. >> nbc's tom costello reporting. an american drone had a close call with an iranian jet over the persian gulf. american officials say the drone was over international waters when an iranian f-14 came in at 16 miles. the fighter ended the chase when american escort planes made radio contact. separately, the use of drones is making political waves here at home. on tuesday, president obama met with senate democrats, some voiced concerns about being left out of the loop on the administration's secretive policy, when it comes to using

unmanned aircraft to target terror suspects abroad. president obama responded by telling them, this is not dick cheney we're talking about here, insisting his administration is more open to oversight than that of his predecessor. wall street looks to finish off in another impressive week of gains. the dow extended its winning streak to ten days. longest since 1996. in a new report credits the booming market for the creation of 300,000 new millionaires. for more on the markets and the latest on the jpmorgan trading scandal, let's check in with steve live for us in london. good morning, steve. let the good times roll, huh? >> yeah. and if you're one of those millionaires, bill. this market has a good run of momentum. best run we've had since 1996. on the back of good jobless figures, as well. wholesale prices, figures. and retail figures earlier in the week. jpmorgan wasn't supporting the

rally. a bipartisan committee criticized the group for that $6 billion of losses they encured at their office in london last year. basically, the committee, which has as a senior republican on it, john mccain, accused jamie dimon of misleading investors about what they knew about the enormous credit that has been accumulated at the office in london. jpmorgan said they acted in good faith and never intended to mislead anyone. back to you, bill. >> just if you're wondering, i'm close to that millionaire status. 20 years of bottle returns and i'm right there. have a good week in london. let us know why you're awake. shoot us an e-mail or tweet me. still ahead on "way too early," a surprise guest dropped by the louisville locker room after last night's win over villanova. we'll show you who, next in

sports. and another carnival cruise turns into a nightmare, after technical problems leave passengers stranded without working loos, toilets. >> many of the issues of civil rights are very complex. and most difficult. but about this, there can and should be no argument. every american citizen must have an equal right to vote. ♪

♪ if loving you is wrong ♪ i don't wanna be right [ record scratch ] what?! it's not bad for you. it just tastes that way. [ female announcer ] honey nut cheerios cereal -- heart-healthy, whole grain oats. you can't go wrong loving it. bee happy. bee healthy. with clusters of flakes and o's. oh, ho ho... it's the honey sweetness. i...i mean, you...love. oh, ho ho... it's the honey sweetness. ♪ vo:wiplus wireless speaker,rhead bold is the proud sponsor of singing in the shower.

could lose tens of thousands of dollars on their 401(k) to hidden fees. thankfully e-trade has low cost investments and no hidden fees. but, you know, if you're still bent on blowing this fat stack of cash, there's a couple of ways you could do it. ♪ ♪ or just go to e-trade and save it. boom. ♪ otherworldly things. but there are some things i've never seen before. this ge jet engine can understand 5,000 data samples per second. which is good for business. because planes use less fuel, spend less time on the ground and more time in the air. suddenly, faraway places don't seem so...far away. ♪

[ sneezing ] she may be muddling through allergies. try zyrtec®. powerful allergy relief for adults and kids six years and older. zyrtec®. love the air. i know it's almost that time of year, we should be talking cherry blossoms.

they came early last year. it was a warm march. not feeling that way lately. let's get a check on your forecast from dylan dreyer. happy friday. >> you're so right. i forgot about how early the cherry blossoms came out last year. >> haven't heard a peep this year. >> if they came out, we might get a freeze spell. we're not talking about anything warm anytime soon. we're looking at more snow. especially back across the northern plains, through the northern peninsula of michigan, as well. a closer look, this is not heavy. we'll see a few inches out of this one. especially back across minnesota and wisconsin and north dakota, too, where we have winter weather advisories posted for three to five inches in a skinny, little swath, through minneapolis, and stretching into west central wisconsin. most areas will pick up one to three inches. this storm system, though, it's a fast-mover. it's going to get in the mid-atlantic region by the weekend. it doesn't look like it's going to affect southern new england.

most areas, across connecticut, might see a wintry mix. even in new york city, for the parade, a wintry mix. mainly in the morning and exiting as we go through saturday afternoon. today, we're only going to be in the 40s. normal highs should be closer to about 50 degrees in new york city. we're close to that. but 40 in boston. and it looks very chilly across the western great lakes. minneapolis, 35 degrees. and tomorrow, minneapolis tops out at 28 degrees. that's almost like 50 degrees colder than it was this time last year. last year, it was really awesome in the chicago/minneapolis area. not so much this time around for st. patrick's day. >> i should give you your official title and tease. you can catch dylan on the "today" show. >> every now and then. >> have a good weekend. let's turn to sports. college basketball. teams around the country are trying to make a final statement. last night, in the big east, notre dame taking on third seed,

marquette in the final match-up. notre dame down by one. that's patrick. these are the new adidas uniforms. they're absolutely horrible. that gives the irish the lead with the 3 1/2 minutes left. another big three. notre dame goes on to upset marquette. their last big east tournament before jumping to the acc next season. the big east semifinals tonight look like this. and i'll be there. georgetown will face syracuse. i'll have a tear in my eye when that's over. and the last meeting as big east members. in the night cap, it will be louisville taking on notre dame. and before the break, we mentioned louisville got a locker room visit from a special guest. any guesses? former president bill clinton stopped by after the blowout win over villanova yesterday. clinton reportedly exchanged phone numbers with some of the players. and spent some time with rick pitino. nice.

on to the biggen the, illinois taking on minnesota. tied at 49-49, in the final second. here's gus johnson with the call. >> crosses over. 15-footer. at the buzzer. >> who does it better than gus johnson? at the buzzer. that was brandon paul with the game-winner for illinois. the illini win 59-49. they take on indiana today. let's move to the opening round of the atlantic ten tournament. and the strangest finish you will see to any game ever. goes to the richmond/charlotte game. less than five seconds left in the game. charlotte down three. very little chance to win. until that push to bed ball technical. they get two free throws. plus, the other one for the one and one. he goes on to make all four. they have the lead now. how crazy is that? all right. now, richmond has to foul charlotte. they foul them. but on that call, right there,

it wasn't just a touch-foul or a holding foul. they called he was in the act of shooting. the coach goes crazy. he gets two more technicals. and now, it's just chaos. now, we're just shooting seven free throws. they made four of those. if you add this all up, another four free throws there. they went on to make 8 of 12 free throws in the last 4.7 seconds of the game they were down by 3. never seen an ending like that, ever, before. finally, the u.s. taking on the dominican republic in the world baseball classic in miami. the u.s. without the injured david wright, who had been one of their top hitters. top of the second. r.a. dickey, facing handly ramirez. erick aybar singles to right. that's going to bring home nelson cruz. the dominican republic win 3-1. the u.s. faces puerto rico in

the elimination game. coming up on "morning joe," the young guns of the republican party lay out competing visions for the gop at the big conservation conference. cpac in washington. which message will take hold as the party hopes to recover from back-to-back presidential losses? when we come back we're, we'll huddle around the watercooler, where it's not as bad as the sewage cruise. more carnival cruise ships are running into trouble. we'll explain. and tell you about the bargains carnival's offering. [ male announcer ] how do you make america's favorite recipes?

just begin with america's favorite soups. bring out chicken broccoli alfredo. or best-ever meatloaf. go to campbellskitchen.com for recipes, plus a valuable coupon. campbell's. it's amazing what soup can do. [ dennis ] allstate wants everyone to be protected on the road. whether you're an allstate customer or not. all you have to do is call. [ female announcer ] call and sign up for good hands roadside assistance today. [ dennis ] are you in good hands?

we told you at the top of the show that cpac got under way yesterday. even though new jersey governor chris christie won't be there, his name is listed on the 2016 straw poll. he joins other hopefuls, like bobby jindal and marco rubio. since the straw poll got started in 1976, just two of its winners, ronald reagan, and george w. bush, have gone on to win the presidency. jeb bush opted out of this year's straw poll. time for some fun. >> happy friday, bill. >> it's been a long week for some reason. >> a long week. but st. patty's day is coming up. any big plans? >> no. just -- some shenanigans.

no irish gig down the street at midnig midnight. it's a nightmare for carnival cruise line. it may not be as bad as the one last night. but it's filled with thousands of vacationers. a generator problem shut off power on "dream" cruise ship. causing some toilets to stop working. passengers had to stay onboard even though the ship was docked in st. maarten. all of the passengers were flown home. we're learning that the carnival "legend" is being cut short, too. a problem with a device that controls the ship's speed. that means the ship will skip -- >> stuck in cruise control. >> it will skip a visit to grand cayman and head back to port. the people on the ship are saying that the morale is extremely low. they name the cruises "dream," and "legend," we need one that's named the latrine. >> what kind of deal is it going to be? buy one ticket and get ten free?

>> if you want a good deal, go to carnival. my mom is on one of those cruise ships. she's tearing it up at the blackjack table. >> nice. i want to phone her. >> they're telling me i have to move on. let's go to the next story. i'd love to talk about carnival all day. >> is your grandma and dad doing anything right now. >> what would life be like in 2013. it turns out the futurists were spot-on about the things. heavy l.a. trachblg. e-mail, dvds and hd monitors. do dvds exist anymore. they're way off on things like robots. they envisioned robotic maids that would clean the house. instead of a pet dog, you'd have a robotic one. they thought that chores would be easier for the everyday joe. instead of guessing what you need at the grocery store, a smart fridge would tell you what you were out of. it's called fresh breath.

forget brushing the teeth. >> i don't bother. >> there was some mouthwash they thought would help you just clean your teeth that way. >> rinse and -- >> that would be it. that would be nice. >> does your mom split the 8s? >> you know, she splits 8s. and she doubles down. we have to go. still ahead on "way too early," why are you awake? your futuristic tweets. and "morning joe" is just moments away. let's pull together and get bill a free cruise. [ male announcer ] when it comes to the financial obstacles military families face, we understand. our financial advice is geared specifically to current and former military members and their families. life brings obstacles. usaa brings retirement advice. oh. let's go. from the crack, off the backboard. [ laughs ] dad!